REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (May 15, 2024) – For DeMarcus Jackson, his work at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center and his military service in the Army National Guard are two facets of the same drive to be a part of something bigger than himself.
Jackson recently returned from a ten-month deployment to Poland and was welcomed back with a standing ovation led by Systems Readiness Directorate Director Keith Darrow during a recent SRD town hall. For Jackson, it showed him that his career was right where he needed to be.
“It felt amazing,” said Jackson, who serves as a captain in the Signal Corps. “Knowing that our support for the Warfighter goes further than just the assets that we provide -- that we also support servicemen and women within the organization. Having that knowledge that leadership and management here is behind us 100% means a lot and makes you feel better about what you're doing.”
Jackson is an Alabama native, born and bred in Lowndes County located in Central Alabama. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, after initially pursuing electrical engineering. While he had always been drawn to science and mathematics, he realized in college that mathematics was his true calling.
He had joined ROTC as a high schooler and then later at the University of Alabama, where he graduated in 2019 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Jackson, a self-proclaimed introvert, credits ROTC, sports, and later his military service, as providing opportunities for someone from a small town to travel, meet different people and broaden his views.
After three years working in industry, Jackson started to consider pursuing a civil service career that complimented his military service. He was excited at the opportunity to do that as a production engineer within SRD, but those opportunities would be put on hold as he received his orders to deploy to European theater.
It was the longest time that Jackson had spent away from his close-knit family and the first time that he had not spent the holidays with them. But that time was meaningful and brought with it a new perspective for the work that the Center does for the Warfighter, he said. It became personal.
“I wanted to find a way to balance and integrate my military and civilian life and I thought what better way than to do something that I know is going to impact Soldiers and others within that same community?” Jackson said. “It gave me a sense of pride overseas, to see these projects and weapon systems we work on and how every day they impact Soldiers and mission assets across the world.”
Settled back home in Huntsville, Jackson is looking forward to furthering his career with the Center and while he is a younger member of the team, his dual role as both a Soldier and a civil servant has provided a unique perspective to share with someone following in his footsteps – or boot tracks.
“Be extremely open-minded,” he said. “A lot of people go into school with a plan that everything is going to go a certain way. Give yourself a little flexibility to be open to other things that may change your viewpoint.”
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The DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the Army’s research and development focal point for advanced technology in aviation and missile systems. It is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. AvMC is responsible for delivering collaborative and innovative aviation and missile capabilities for responsive and cost-effective research, development and life cycle engineering solutions, as required by the Army’s strategic priorities and support to its Cross-Functional Teams.
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